Bad Dog
by Happily Not You
Summary: Karkat is pretty sure his dog is one of the stupidest dogs in the history of ever. Then again, stupid is as stupid does. Johnkat. John x Karkat.


"Bella – fucking stop it!"

Karkat shouts through the cold November wind and tugs irritably at the leash in his hand, which has been strung painfully tight by a stocky, overjoyed boxer dog. The animal bucks and pulls in an impulsive zigzag pattern, hardly pausing to sniff fire hydrants and mailboxes on his way, and Karkat feels like _he's _the one who's been taken out for a walk.

"Could you please tone it down?" he adds in a more cooperative tone, although he knows he's engaging in a losing battle no matter what kind of approach he chooses to go for.

Despite his size and strength Bella is still considered a puppy, something which is only confirmed by his impossible behavior. In addition to that, Karkat is positive he ended up with the dumbest fucking puppy of the entire litter. The dog has the kindest heart and the fittest shape, but also the dullest mind. Stupid and young, that's Bella in a nutshell.

Karkat swears and tugs at the leash again, determined to make it to the nearby shop in one piece before closing time. He struggles for a good ten minutes more before he can finally tie the unruly boxer up by a half-empty bike rack, his fingers growing painfully numb in the cold air.

"Try not to eat anyone while I'm gone," he mutters, and unsuccessfully dodges Bella's enthusiastic attempts at licking his face. Karkat gives a slight sigh and prays that people are going to find the dog too intimidating to approach.

Like everywhere else in town, the shop is already bent double with Christmas decorations even though it's barely November. It reminds him of all the presents he needs to buy and all the extra shifts he needs to take in order to afford them. He's either going to pay his rent or buy nice Christmas presents, this year like every other year. And this year like every other year, it's his rent that's going to suffer, most likely.

Bella reacts as expected the moment he steps out of the shop. The dog utters a deep bark at the sight of him and leaps forward with all the explosive strength he can muster, collar digging into his throat and paws scraping at the pavement. Thanks to sheer muscle power the leash gives a few inches, and Karkat isn't entirely sure what happens during the next few seconds. Bella spins around and before Karkat even gets to stop him, some unfortunate passerby gets caught in the same whirlwind.

All he's capable of registering is his out-of-control dog, the leash looping dangerously around his legs and that he's about to knock over a complete stranger, and for a couple of panicky moments the situation is a blur of unsteady confusion and grocery bags threatening to burst open. At last Karkat succeeds in grabbing the hyperactive dog by the collar and eventually manages to disentangle them both from the polyester labyrinth created by the leash. Luckily the victimized stranger has enough sense in him to actually stay still and not freak out.

"Oh my God, I'm so sorry," Karkat rambles breathlessly and guides an ecstatic Bella around the man's legs in order to free him. "He's not dangerous or anything, he's just fucking crazy, I'm so sorry."

To his massive relief the man waves it all off with a laugh. "Hey, it's okay," he replies, sounding genuinely amused. "It's my fault. I kinda got it the way of you two."

Karkat straightens up and finally gets a good look at the stranger. It's a young man with dark ruffled hair and a smile added to the frosty roses on his pale cheeks. He's battling the wind with a black pea coat and a knitted scarf that looks like a gift from somebody's grandmother, while a messenger bag has been flung over his shoulder. The first thing that pops into Karkat's head is that the guy is actually real fucking cute. He's real fucking cute _and _he just witnessed Karkat making a total idiot of himself. To place your introductions via your rabid dog isn't exactly what anybody would call smooth.

"Uhm, yeah, I'm really sorry though," he repeats awkwardly, trying his damndest to channel Cesar Milan and look like he's in control of everything within a five-mile radius. "He's usually pretty friendly, but he's kinda fierce too," he adds, and immediately gives himself a mental slap across the face for his idiotic choice of words.

"He's awesome," the stranger grins, before gesticulating at the shop behind them; it's about to close in ten minutes and it dawns on Karkat that he's actually keeping him. Yet another smooth move. "Look, I really have to run," he continues apologetically and starts backing away. "But have a nice evening!"

Karkat manages to stutter back something along the same lines and feels his face flare up in a blush.

"I can't believe you just did that," he mutters as he watches the stranger disappear inside the shop. "Seriously," he looks down at Bella, "the _one _cute guy we get tangled up in and you decide to make me look like a fucking loser. Thanks a lot."

The dog just tilts his head innocently, tail wagging and tongue slobbering. He then barks out a clueless and happy "Arf!", and Karkat can't help but laugh at his funny expression.

"Shut your face," he says lovingly and reaches out to ruffle the boxer's head. "Stupid dog."

***

Later in the evening Bella decides to activate his entire collection of hyperactive genes and nearly demolishes the entire apartment before scarfing down a piece of rubber bone in sheer excitement. The direct consequence of his gluttonous hurry is that the toy somehow ends up getting stuck in his throat. His energy level plummets abruptly and for a moment he falls into almost confused silence, before he's overtaken by an ugly lingering cough.

Karkat groans when he discovers the damage. "Damnit, what the hell have you done now?"

It doesn't seem like his airways are acutely obstructed, but the constant coughing and whining has Karkat feeling equally annoyed and worried. He hesitantly decides to leave it for a while and see how it develops throughout the night. Sometimes these things solve themselves just fine and it's not like Bella is a stranger to consuming things he strictly shouldn't consume. Karkat remembers how the animal once devoured an entire bar of soap and apart from the following diarrhea he escaped from it perfectly fine.

But as the night slowly passes it's obvious that Bella is seriously struggling. He keeps pacing restlessly around the apartment, coughing and grunting and occasionally gulping down a mouthful of water that only seems to make matters worse. His condition remains unchanged all the way into the early morning hours, and when Karkat offers him breakfast he just hangs his head and curls indifferently up on his bed.

"God, this is so typical." Karkat walks over to him, a cup of coffee in his hand and his head heavy with lack of sleep. "You know that, Bella? So fucking typical."

He gives him an encouraging pat on the head, immediately receiving a miserable hacking cough followed by a half-hearted wag of the tail. He sighs, thinking of the money he's been desperately trying to save for months, before bad conscience nudges him in the ribs. He knows all too well that he cries just as much over the ASPCA advertisements as he cries over Toy Story 3. There's no way he's going to leave the animal suffering.

After having called the nearest vet's office and told them it's a matter of emergency, Karkat throws on a jacket, gathers the leash and has to more or less coax Bella into coming with him. It's strange and slightly frightening to see him like that, especially when he's used to a sixty-pound uncontrollable whirlwind running around all the time.

"Good boy," Karkat says softly as he locks the door to his apartment. "Cough it up on the way if you can."

***

The clinic is just a walking distance away and is relatively empty this Thursday morning. Karkat double-checks his appointment with the girl at the reception and allows Bella to slink indifferently around the food area, before grabbing a seat next to an elderly lady. She's got a caged cat on her lap, to which Bella reacts with nothing but a half-curious sniff. In the end he simply gives a sneeze and a cough, before he sinks down on the floor with a frustrated sigh. Karkat finds his dog to be so completely out of character that he honestly wishes he could have the crazy hyperactivity back.

"Bella?"

Both Bella and Karkat look up at the sound of the unfamiliar voice, and it takes a couple of blinks to recognize the man standing in front of them. It's the cute guy from the shop, the one he almost knocked over. He's a bit unrecognizable in his dark blue scrubs, but it's most definitely him. Karkat would have to be utterly brain-dead to even forget a face like that anyway.

So he's a fucking _veterinarian_. Well, that was unexpected.

"Nice to meet you again," the young man adds with a broad grin, hazel eyes meeting Karkat's, and he takes a step forward to shake his hand. "I'm John Way."

Still a bit confused, Karkat can feel himself blush as he stutters through an unnecessarily clumsy introduction. The former encounter obviously made a strong enough impact on the guy to sear itself into his memory, although he's not sure whether he should feel flattered or just embarrassed. He's definitely leaning towards the latter.

They tag after John to the examination room and Karkat catches himself wondering where his regular veterinarian is. Ever since he got Bella and had to start buying the clinic's dog food, he's never noticed a change in staff.

"Did anything happen to Holden?" he blurts out and immediately regrets the question. He sounds like he'd much rather have another vet – which is most definitely _not _the case.

John doesn't seem to mind however. "He's on indefinite sick leave," he smiles and closes the door behind them. "I'm filling in for him."

He digs a couple of dog treats out of his pocket and talks Bella into jumping up on the examination table without much fuss. The dog responds with the usual happy tail but remains uninterested in the food offered to him.

"See, that's exactly what's worrying me." Karkat gesticulates at the untouched dog treats. "He should have slobbered all over you already."

John shoots him a look of sympathy. "What happened?"

Karkat tells him about the rubber bone and the ugly following cough. "I don't know, I think it got stuck in his throat," he concludes. "He hasn't eaten anything since yesterday, he's kinda just moping around."

John nods thoughtfully. "Alright, we'll figure it out," he assures him, and proceeds to check the dog's teeth and mouth. "So – _Bella_, huh?" He grins at the slight change of topic and glances up at Karkat. "Does it have anything to do with Bella Lugosi, by any chance?"

Karkat's cheeks turn warm again and he shifts awkwardly on the spot, too embarrassed to even be aware of the fact that John is so far the only person who hasn't automatically assumed he named his dog after a Twilight-character.

"Well… yeah. To call him Dracula seemed a little dramatic so I decided to go for the actor." He shrugs apologetically. "I'm kind of a nerd."

"I think it's cool," John states with a wide smile and locates a stethoscope. "And it's not like you're the only one. I had a client once who was a major fan of Lord of the Rings. Sauron the cat was a regular, actually."

"Oh, wow." Karkat can't help but laugh, grateful that the initial awkwardness is slipping away so easily. To be honest he's starting to feel comfortable in this guy's company. "That sounds like serious business."

"Hell yeah," John chuckles. "That cat was the meanest motherfucker you'd ever meet." He falls silent for a moment as he gives Bella's lungs one more listen, before he considers himself satisfied. "Well, he's breathing normally and that's great. I think the cough is caused by an irritation rather than anything being stuck, and I'm pretty sure he'll pick back up on eating again as soon as he feels hungry enough. I'll run an X-ray though, just to be safe."

"Uhm, you're not gonna sedate him for that?" Karkat asks, watching as John grabs Bella's leash.

"Most vets would, but really good ones don't have to." He smiles jokingly and shoots him a quick wink. "We'll be back in a flash."

It's extremely hard not to stare after John as he exits the room. Scrubs isn't exactly the most flattering or sexy outfit anyone can wear at any occasion, but John's are definitely the nicest fitting scrubs Karkat has ever seen in his entire life.

He lets out a shaky breath and glances around the room. The bench along the far wall is overloaded with bottles of hand sanitizer and various cups of pet treats, while an ultrasound apparatus is standing mutely in the corner. A couple of anatomical charts are displayed on the wall behind him and Karkat spends the remaining time studying them, all the while unable to keep his thoughts from returning to John's great-looking ass.

It takes an additional five minutes before the door opens and Bella barges in with a hyper expression that seems to say _Yay that was my favorite thing! I don't know what it was or what we did but yay my favorite thing!_

"So I have some very good news and _maybe _some bad news," John says as he closes the door and hands Karkat the leash. "The good news is, he doesn't have anything lodged in his throat."

"And the bad…?"

"Well… You said he ate a _rubber _bone? Because cheap toys can be made from a bunch of different things depending on the manufacturer – and sometimes they can be toxic if consumed."

"Seriously?" Karkat stares at him with a certain kind of dread, his mind quickly counting all the dog toys he bought simply because they were cheap. That adds up just about every single one of Bella's possessions.

"Yeah, I'm afraid it happens," John states with a careful shrug. "I'd like to check up on Bella tomorrow, before we close for the weekend. Just to make sure that the rubber doesn't contain anything with a delayed toxic effect."

"Okay…" Karkat absently scratches his head, again trying not to think about how much this is eventually going to cost him. In any case it would be stupid to ignore the expert's advice, and at the end of the day he just wants to do what's best for his dog. "When do you want us?"

"I'm pretty sure my last appointment tomorrow is available. Do you have pet insurance?"

Karkat shrugs and tells him with an exasperated sigh that he'd definitely arrange for it if only he could afford it.

John falls silent and regards him thoughtfully. "Okay, how about this," he says at last, obviously catching the point of Karkat's worries. "Why don't you drop by after we've closed? I'll do a quick examination of Bella, off the record. Screw the appointment."

"Oh." Karkat blinks in surprise and hesitates for a moment, extremely tempted by the friendly offer, before he reluctantly shakes his head. "I'm sorry; I can't let you do that…"

"Of course you can," John insists. "It makes no sense paying for a five-minute examination anyway. And the clinic's gonna be closed. It's not like you're cutting in line or anything."

Karkat throws a confused glance at Bella, who just responds with his usual clueless happy tail, confident that whatever his master decides to do is the right thing. "Look," he then sighs and shakes his head once more. "One way or the other, I'm still gonna owe you. You've been really helpful and I can't do this off the record. I'd feel bad."

"Well…" John pauses, lip tucked underneath his teeth. "I guess we can call it a fair payment if you come and have coffee with me."

***

Over the next couple of weeks, meeting up with John becomes a regular thing. In between extra shifts and Christmas shopping, Karkat realizes that he's come to genuinely appreciate hanging out with him, even when it's just a quick stop for coffee. Karkat is pretty sure that these little meetings do not constitute as dates. That said, he has no idea what to think of their long walks in the park and the occasional dog-free diner visit. Sometimes it seems like John is wondering about the exact same thing.

"You know, I'm so fucking relieved Bella didn't get poisoned," Karkat tells him one evening. "I have to start warning my friends about those dog toys."

They're in John's car and it's pouring down outside. Despite Karkat trying to assure him that he and Bella would be fine walking the distance back home, John wouldn't have any of it and insisted he'd give them a ride. Karkat just prays the dog won't do anything stupid, such as puking in the backseat.

"Karkat, about that…" John shifts uncomfortably next to him, his mood abruptly changing. "I have to admit I've kinda abused my vet license when it comes to you."

Karkat frowns at him. "What do you mean?"

"That whole thing about toxic toys… It's pretty unlikely." He stops at a red light, and their wet windshield reflection highlights the pink blush that has appeared on his cheekbones. "Bella didn't need a second check-up at all, I just… I thought you were interesting and I really wanted to make sure I saw you again." He pauses, shooting him a quick glance. "I know it's a bit creepy."

Karkat's not sure what he's supposed to say to that. In fact he has no idea at all. His brain is trying to objectively interpret what John's confession actually means; that the guy constructed a white lie to make sure they'd meet again. It's either flattering, or like he said, a bit creepy.

"I hope it didn't freak you out," John continues, hands clutched tightly around the wheel as he pulls up outside Karkat's building. He kills the engine and looks at him with nervous hesitation. "I really like you, Karkat."

Karkat remains quiet for an awkward moment. It's not like he dates a lot of guys, despite guys being what he prefers. It's much easier to stay perfectly low key instead of throwing himself into one drunken party after the other. He's tried that before and it's proven to be nothing but a waste of time – and condoms. Then he realizes that _this _could be the one reason why he's attracted to guys, after all.

"Uh, you wanna come in?" he eventually asks.

John doesn't say anything at first, his eyebrows arched and his lips parted in momentary surprise, but in the end he nods and stutters "Yeah. Sure."

They run through the relentless rain and make their way up to Karkat's floor in soaked silence. Only Bella is expressing something else than uncertain awkwardness; he keeps running up the stairs and then back down again, stopping to bark at them as though saying _Hey hurry the fuck up!_

Once they're finally inside his apartment, Karkat is at a complete loss for words and intentions. He only knows for sure that his heart is in his throat, that his shoulders are way too high and that his eyes keep flicking downward at John's lips – and that he can't help any of it. In the next moment he finds himself doing the only thing that makes sense; he grabs John by his ridiculous scarf and catches his lips in a kiss. A slight gasp of surprise cuts in between them, before John buries his hands into his hair and the kiss deepens. Karkat grabs a hold of his hips and presses his body up against him, drawing a faint sigh. For a moment he just wants to keep him trapped out there in the cramped hall and make out with him for the rest of the night.

"You should stay a while," Karkat murmurs against his lips, fingers impatiently struggling with the buttons of his coat.

"Yeah?" The one-word question is breathlessly aroused, almost hopeful.

"Yeah," he confirms with a nod and steers them both further inside, leaving a short trail of outerwear in their steps. "Y'know, in case Bella gets sick or something. Good to have a vet around."

"I thought you'd forgotten about your dog." John pulls back with a crooked grin and nods in direction of the kitchen. Karkat discovers that Bella is sitting expectantly next to his empty food bowl, head comically tilted and tail wagging rhythmically.

"Oh. Right." Karkat tears himself away from John with a reluctant groan and hurries into the kitchen, almost tripping over the dog as it keeps jumping around his legs. He digs out the heavy bag of food and pours a good portion of the stuff into the bowl, not stopping to bother with the measuring cup.

"I really hope you don't feed him _that _much every day." John crosses his arms and leans against the door frame, watching him as he clumsily forces the large bag back into the cupboard. "You don't want a fat dog."

"You're right, I don't," Karkat nods. He walks over to him and traps his lips in another impatient kiss. "I want _you_."

John lets out an amused laugh before his hands find their way up underneath Karkat's shirt, pulling him closer. Their bodies are pressed together so tightly that Karkat can hardly breathe, and the insistency of everything makes his stomach churn with anticipation. Somehow they manage to stumble their way towards the bedroom, clumsily kicking off shoes and undoing belts as they go.

They share a couple of breathless words between them, words that are incoherent and needy, and Karkat can hardly think straight enough to remember where the fuck he keeps his condoms and whether or not he even has condoms at all. When he eventually does find them he's thrown into a frustrating battle including his own trembling hands and the near impossible wrapping.

Honestly, he's surprising himself a little. He always imagined he'd take things slow once he found the perfect guy. He expected himself to be careful not to do anything rash that might scare him away or have him think he was a total freak – but when it comes to John that's simply impossible. There's really nothing special about anything, about them or the time or the circumstances, but something in the way John pulls at his hair and digs his fingers into his back triggers something he's never felt for anyone before. It's like he's waited for this.

As John arches his back to meet Karkat's thrusts, stifled moans tearing from his throat, it dawns on Karkat's scrambled mind that _fuck_, he might actually have fallen in love with this guy.

John grabs a fistful of his hair and pulls him down, pressing their lips together in an unsteady kiss, but eventually breaking them apart in favor of desperate touches and breathless pleas. His head is tipped back and his hands are everywhere, and Karkat can feel just how close John is. He reaches down between them and wraps his hand firmly around him, and it doesn't take many strokes or urging words before he comes. He completes hard and loud, the sensation tightening his grip around Karkat's shoulders and sending a shiver through his body. A couple more unsteady thrusts and Karkat follows, his mouth drawn open against John's neck and his hands digging into his hips.

He keeps them both still for a moment, their foreheads pressed together. "That was awesome," Karkat finally whispers, and he drops a kiss on John's lips to cover up for the fact that his mind has melted and that he's lacking anything better to say.

The gesture earns him a blissed out smile in return, and John reaches up to lightly thread his fingers through his hair.

***

The next morning Karkat wakes up much too early. He peers through the curtains and up at the dark and heavy blanket stretched out across the sky, for a while just watching the clouds group together and prepare for another shower of rain.

His attention is eventually grabbed by the steady breathing next to him. Karkat turns around as quietly as he can and takes in the sight of the sleeping man, his heart stuttering at how fucking beautiful John actually is, even at such an ungodly hour. Karkat struggles to keep himself from spontaneously reaching out to touch him and wonders instead where the hell they're supposed to go from here. He's been sleeping uneasily all night, despite feeling comfortably warm and exhausted, and this certain kind of worry is the reason he's waking up early.

He's afraid that his straightforwardness last night might make John regret the whole thing, once he awakes and gets his head wrapped around where he is and what they've done. There's a good chance Karkat will have to watch things turn awkward, despite everything. Thing is, kissing someone might be enough to tip a scale both ways, but sleeping with them tends to flip things over completely.

Karkat rolls over on his back with a stifled sigh and drags his hands across his face. Now that he's managed to work himself up about it he really wishes he'd given it more time instead of contradicting himself. There's a big leap between saying you like someone and saying you want them, and it worries him that John innocently confessed to the former while the latter was all on Karkat's initiative. And that was not so innocent.

He doesn't get to worry about it anymore when there's a scratch on the door, followed by a miserable whimper. Karkat hurries quietly out of bed and slips on his discarded shirt and boxers, soundlessly tip-toeing out of the room before Bella starts barking for real.

"You gotta pee?" he mutters absently and grabs the leash, taking the chance on nobody being up this early on a Sunday morning to notice that he's following his dog outside in nothing but his underwear.

It's fucking freezing and despite Bella being remarkably quick about his business, Karkat is surrounded by the November cold long enough to feel it settle in his bones. He hurries back upstairs but even in the welcoming warmth of his apartment his teeth won't stop chattering.

He's about to fix Bella his breakfast, automatically assuming that a growing puppy is _always _hungry, before he realizes that Bella has actually wandered quietly back to bed. Karkat frowns and walks over to him, thinking something has got to be seriously wrong this time, but the wagging tail he's met with suggests otherwise. Apparently, the dog is just tired.

"Don't blame you, buddy," he smiles and ruffles Bella's head. "You know…" he then adds slowly, eyes narrowing. "This is all happening kinda thanks to you. If I didn't know any better I'd say you staged this entire fucking thing."

Karkat tip-toes back to the bedroom, where John is still sleeping, and the darkened outline of his body quiet against the day dawning outside. He hesitates for a moment before he slips back underneath the warm covers and curls up, trying to rid himself of the insistent remains of his encounter with the cold wind.

A few shivering seconds later Karkat can feel the mattress dip slightly behind him and then an arm wraps itself around his waist, followed by the warm weight of John's body against his back.

"You're freezing," he mutters sleepily.

Karkat tenses up, battling whether or not he should surrender to the sudden embrace. He's actually not sure if John's fully awake or if he's still overpowered by a post-dream remainder.

"Uhm… John? Are we good?"

He knows that he probably shouldn't ask, that he shouldn't put the thought in John's head when it might not even be there in the first place, but he can't help himself. It's just something he needs to know for sure.

He can feel John stir and pull back a little, apparently more conscious than Karkat first assumed. "What d'you mean?"

"I mean… Do you feel like staying?"

There's a moment of silence that remains short-lived, terminated by John's amused chuckle. "You really think I'd be spooning with you if I didn't feel like it?" he asks, his warm breath feathering over the nape of Karkat's neck.

Karkat stills completely for a moment, his breath shortened against the relieved hammering of his heartbeats, before he eases himself around. He sacrifices a few seconds on the sleepy sight next to him, smiling at the way John's hair falls relentlessly into his face, until he can't help it anymore and leans forward to place a light kiss on his lips. It's careful at first, hesitant and questioning, but when there are no signs of protest he leans in and kisses him again.

"So you're actually staying?" Karkat asks when they break apart.

John gives a small laugh and pulls him closer. "Give me another hour and I'll even make you breakfast."

"It's Sunday." Karkat grins as he buries his face against his neck, humming contently at the fingertips lightly caressing his shoulder blades. "I'll be happy to give you two."

"Let's say one and a half. You got a dog, remember."

"Oh. Yeah."

_Stupid dog_, Karkat thinks lovingly and smiles._ Never fucking change._


End file.
